It’s official: Tuesday marks just 48 hours until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in earnest, when Mexico host South Africa in Mexico City on June 11.
World Cup 2026
As we did at the 100-day and 30-day mark, we’re looking at how our global reporters feel about the tournament from a contenders vs. pretenders perspective with just two days until kickoff. We asked our panel of 20 reporters to rank their top 15 favorites from No. 1 (meaning “the trophy is theirs”) to No. 15 (“the cool outsider’s pick for a tournament shock”) and compiled their ballots into the collective ranking below.
Our voting panel includes Bill Connelly, James Olley, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, Rob Dawson, Mariano Mancuso, Armando Neria, Alain van Hilten, Mark Ogden, Lizzy Becherano, Beth Lindop, Ed Dove, Tom Hamilton, Leonardo Bertozzi, Alex Kirkland, Gabe Tan, Joey Lynch, Jeff Carlisle, Gab Marcotti and Cesar Hernandez.
Consider this your shorthand guide to the favorites next month, with some adjustments noted based on form, injuries and other intangibles.
Match Details
– Ranked: The top 50 players at the 2026 World Cup
– Simulating the World Cup: Who did EA crown as champions?
– Borden: What you’ve missed in soccer since 2022 World Cup
Tournament Impact
ESPN FC’s World Cup Power Rankings, 2 days out
– FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 2
– Group H games: vs. Cape Verde (June 15, Atlanta); vs. Saudi Arabia (June 21, Atlanta); vs. Uruguay (June 26, Guadalajara)
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